|
| about us | calendar | slant | employment | archives | search | ||
|
SLANT |
P R E S I D E N T ' S M E S S A G ELibrarianship in a Challenging Economyby Doug Mullin, SLA-WI Chapter President
To say this has been a difficult year for our profession, our economy and the world's economy is obvious. We have seen several of our libraries close, and many of us are now looking for new positions. I've heard people say that traditional special libraries are being killed off by the recession. I don't know if this is true - it's anecdotal and I don't know the overall statistics. But it is undeniable that we have lost quite a few, which certainly leaves us with many questions to ponder. When I talk to my friends around our office, everyone always thinks their department is the first to get hit. Sales gets hit as soon as they stop making their numbers. Marketing has difficulty quantifying their benefits to the company, so they think they are the first target. Our PR department just had two-thirds of their non-staff budget cut. IT investments are being cut, so they are worried about their jobs. And as the company struggles to make our numbers, even the executives are facing churn. In short, everyone is getting hit, and it's important to remember that it isn't just our profession. However, this is of little comfort to those of us who have been impacted by changes, or to those of us worried about our own futures. What can we do to try to improve the odds that our futures will be something in which we are happy living? There is a business metaphor about hedgehogs and foxes, and a debate about which is the better course of action. To simplify, hedgehogs are specialists - they live only in English hedges, and can't live anywhere else. As long as the hedges are around, they are in great shape. Foxes are flexible opportunists - quick thinking omnivores who can survive just about anywhere. So, the question is - do you think you know what the next big thing in librarianship is going to be? Is it competitive intelligence, which has been very hot lately? If you think so, and you are right, you could be in a very good position for a long time to come. Or perhaps my specialty area, Digital Asset Management, which the New York Times recently listed as a hot profession (for what that is worth): tinyurl.com/odfmy5 On the other hand, I think that librarians are, by definition, information omnivores. So, if you are less certain about the future, you might want to look at some trends, and pick a few that look promising to you. Learn a few new skills, and get some new work experience if you have the opportunity. SLA has now made their online Click-U courses free for members. This is a wonderful way to explore your options, and add some flexibility to your skill-set. One of the great things about being a librarian is that our profession gives us a lot of options to reinvent ourselves - either because we want to, or because the world gives us no choice. So even if your future looks uncertain, I would encourage you to have confidence in yourselves, and take advantage of the opportunities for flexibility that our profession allots us. Many traditional special libraries may come back once the economy improves, or they may not. Regardless, we can find new paths no matter what challenges the world throws our way. 
Downtown Milwaukee photo courtesy of OnMilwaukee.com and MilwaukeeDowntown.com. Others courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Questions or comments about the website? Contact the Webmaster |
|
IN THIS ISSUE |
||
